Adjustable door hinge assemblies



P 1, 1964 A. R. HOFFMAN 3,146,486

ADJUSTABLE DOOR HINGE ASSEMBLIES Filed Oct. 16, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR. A t?!) 2 //0FFMA/V Sept. 1, 1964 V A. R. HOFFMAN 3,146,486

ADJUSTABLE DOOR HINGE ASSEMBLIES Filed Oct. 16, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I3 INVENTOR l J L 2/ 25 g2 23 BY 407: P A orrMA/v United States Patent3,146,486 ADEUSTABLE DOOR HINGE ASSEMBLIES Alfred R. Hofiman, GigHarbor, Wash, assignor to Ekco Products Company, Chicago, Ill., acorporation of Deiaware Filed Get. 16, 1961, Ser. No. 145,077 2 Claims.(Cl. 16-130) This invention relates to a hinge assembly wherein thepivot member has its turning axis established on a support member byinterconnecting means, including a screw, operable to shift the pivotmember relative to the support member between selected positions along afixed line of travel in radially extending relation to the turning axis.

hinge assembly incorporating features of this invention is especiallyuseful in door installations since it permits the shifting of theturning axis as needed to maintain proper registry between the edges ofthe door and the frame of the doorway or boundaries of the closure areain reference to which the door swings between closed and open positions.

An important object of this invention is to provide a hinge assembly ofthe character indicated which may be conveniently installed and which issimple and eificient in use whereby accurate registration of the dooredges and the boundaries of the doorway with which the door isoperatively associated may be readily maintained.

Further objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part willappear more in detail hereinafter.

The invention will be readily understood from the following descriptionthereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a door installation, with partsremoved showing an upper and lower hinge assembly applied thereto inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a foreshortened enlarged elevation of the door mounting shownin FIG. 1, wherein one type of the upper and lower hinge mountings ofthis invention are shown in section.

FIG. 3 is a plan view, with parts removed, taken upwardly along line 33of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the upper hinge mounting shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the upper hinge mounting shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of details of construction ofan inner portion of the housing shown in the hinge mounting illustratedin FIGS. 2 to 6 inclusive.

FIG. 8 is a front elevation of adjusting means used in the hingemounting shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 inclusive.

A hinge assembly representing one embodiment of this invention is shownin FIG. 1 to FIG. 8 inclusive of the drawing as applied to a doorinstallation including a pair of door units 10 and 11 and a doorwayhaving a jamb 13 along one side thereof and an overhead track 12 alongthe upper limits of the doorway. Door unit 11 is provided with suitableswivel supporting and guiding means 11a slidable on the track 12 anddoor units 10 and 11 are joined by hinges 14 along adjoining edgesthereof. Door unit It) is supported for swinging movement between foldedand extended positions about an axis defined by a top hinge assemblyhaving a pivot pin 15 and a bottom hinge assembly having a pivot pin 16.The units 19 and 11 are collectively swingable from a folded orcollapsed state to open the area of the doorway to an extended state toclose the area of the doorway. A line designated in FIG. 1 as A--Arepresents a stop surface such as the leading edge of a second door unit3,146,486 Patented Sept. 1, 1964' ice in said doorway or the jarnb ofthe doorway opposite the jamb 13 with which the leading edge of the doorunit 11 is adapted to register when the units 10 and 11 are in fullyextended position.

A bracket 17 secured by screws 18 at one end thereof to the jamb 13occupies a position within the channel defined by the track 12. Theopposite end of the bracket is provided with a notch 19 for receiving ascrew 20 which passes through a slot or opening in the base of the trackopposite thereto to rigidly join the bracket 17 to the upper frame workof the doorway. It will be noted that the bracket is provided withspaced parallel walls 21 extending lengthwise of the track. The areabetween walls 21 is occupied by a spirally coiled metal strip or roddefining a screw 22, with the longitudinal axis of the screw 22 parallelto said walls.

An end wall 23 spans the distance between walls 21 against the innersurface of which the screw 22 bears to limit movement of the lattertoward the end of the bracket facing in a direction away from the jamb13. The opposite end of the area between said walls 21 is open toprovide an entrance through which the screw 22 is initially positionedbetween said walls. After the screw 2-2 is thus operatively locatedbetween said walls, the entrance is closed by a retainer 24 suitablyfastened to the edge of the opening defining said entrance and the screw22 bears against the inner surface of said retainer 24 to limit movementof the screw 22 in the direction of the end of the bracket facing thejamb 13. While thus trapped against relative movement in oppositedirections axially of the screw, the screw is allowed to be rotatedabout its own axis under force of a turning key 25. The key 25 extendsinwardly of the area of the bracket containing the screw 22 via anopening in the end wall 23 in which the key is journalled for rotationabout an axis extending centrally and longitudinally of the walls 21.The screw 22 is coupled to a forked shank 26 at the inwardly projectingend of the key 25 whereby the screw 22 rotates in unison with turning ofthe key 25 in either direction. The end of the key 25 extendingoutwardly from the end wall 23 is slotted as at Ztia for cooperationwith the blade of a screw driver or the like to effect rotation of thescrew 22 as desired. A block of molded plastic material having a baseportion 27 is slidably trapped between adjoining coils of the screw 22so as to be moved axially of the screw in response to rotation of thescrew. A head portion forming an extension of said base portion in adirection radially of the axis of rotation of the screw 22 is providedwith a cylindrical cavity 28 of such diameter as to define a bearing inwhich the pivot pin 15 is receivable for relative turning movementtherein. A groove 29 provided along inner surfaces of the bracketreceives base portion 27 or" the pivot block whereby the pivot block hasguided movement fore and aft of a line coincident with the axis ofrotation of the screw via said interengaged relation with the groove 29in the side walls 21 of the bracket while also trapped thereby againstwithdrawal from operatively engaged position between the coils of saidscrew. The interengagement thus provided between the screw 22 and thetrapped pivot block as well as the connection between the screw 22 andthe turning key 25 combine to hold the screw 22 in fixed coaxialrelation to the axis of the turning key 25 while the screw 22 isoperative to drive the pivot block between selected adjusted positions.The turning axis of the door unit 10 as thus established by the pivotpin 15 and the cavity or bearing 28 on pivot block, is adjustable alonga line of travel extending radially of said axis to occupy selectedpositions along said line of travel under control of linear drivingforces applied to the base portion 27 of the pivot block by the coils ofthe screw 22 as the latter is rotated by a suitable tool, such forexample as a screw driver, engaging the slotted head of the key 25. Theturning key 25 is provided with a radially extending annular flange 25ahaving slidable engagement with the inwardly facing surface of the endWall 23 whereby the key 25 is trapped against unintentional withdrawalfrom the open-' ing in which the key 25 has rotatable bearing support.Interfacing surfaces of the flange 25a and the end wall 23 arepreferably provided with interfitting radial corrugations 23a whichserve to yieldably resist rotation of the key 25 and screw 22 from aselected rotated position thereby preventing unintentional deviationfrom a selected adjusted position of the pivot block under stressapplied against the key 25 from the opposite direction by the screw 22.

An adjustable turning axis for the door 10 is also provided inconnection with the lower pivot pin 16, as shown in FIG. 1, by means ofa hinge assembly corresponding to the hinge assembly hereinbeforedescribed with reference to upper pivot pin 15. As will be noted, abracket 17 secured by screws 18 at one end to the jamb 13 and secured tothe floor of the doorway by a screw 20 in notch 19, supports a rotatablescrew 22 with which a pivot block 27 has driving engagement. The pivotblock 27 has interengagement with lower pivot pin in via an upwardlyopen cavity 28 in the same manner that the upper pivot pin 15 and thepivot block 27 associated therewith establish a turning axis for pivotpin 15. Accordingly, the turning axis of the door 10 via lower pivot pin16 is adjustable to selected positions along a path extending radiallyof said axis in the same manner that the turning axis of the upper pivotpin 15 may be varied through rotation of the adjustment screw 22.

The pivot blocks 27 are preferably molded of synthetic resinous materialhaving self lubricating character in order to assure friction free aswell as noiseless bearing engagement with the pivot pins 15 and 16cooperating herewith.

What is claimed is:

l. A hinge assembly having a pivot pin and mounting means with whichsaid pivot pin cooperates to establish the turning axis of said pin,said mounting means including a support member having a pair of spacedparallel side walls, a helically coiled metal strip defining a screw ofuniform diameter throughout its axial dimension and having surfacesthereof parallel to its axis in confining abutment with oppositelyfacing internal surfaces of said side walls, stop means facing oppositeaxial ends of said screw obstructing movement of said screw in oppositeaxial directions, said stop means including an end wall joining saidside walls of the support member, a key member having journal support insaid end wall for rotation about a fixed axis centrally of said sidewalls of the support and having engagement With said screw to effectrotation thereof about its axis in response to rotation of said key, abearing member straddled by a pair of adjoining convolutions of saidscrew, interfitting means on said bearing member and said side walls ofthe bracket operative to prevent movement of said bearing memberrelative to said side walls in directions radially of the axis of saidscrew While permitting said bearing member to travel fore and aft of theaxis of said screw in response to rotation of said screw, and a cavityin said bearing member in which said pin is receivable for relativeturning movement therein.

2. A hinge assembly according to claim 1 wherein said key member has anannular flange opposite the surface of said end wall facing the screw,and said flange and said surface of said end wall have intermeshingprojectings and depressions operable to releasably retain said key andsaid screw in selected rotated positions and thereby establish thebearing member in fixed selected positions fore and aft of the axis ofthe screw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS843,720 Waddell et al Feb. 12, 1907 982,160 Regan Jan. 17, 19111,917,200 Bornstein July 4, 1933 2,842,795 Majeske July 15, 19582,987,756 Hollansworth June 13, 1961

1. A HINGE ASSEMBLY HAVING A PIVOT PIN AND MOUNTING MEANS WITH WHICHSAID PIVOT PIN COOPERATES TO ESTABLISH THE TURNING AXIS OF SAID PIN,SAID MOUNTING MEANS INCLUDING A SUPPORT MEMBER HAVING A PAIR OF SPACEDPARALLEL SIDE WALLS, A HELICALLY COILED METAL STRIP DEFINING A SCREW OFUNIFORM DIAMETER THROUGHOUT ITS AXIAL DIMENSION AND HAVING SURFACESTHEREOF PARALLEL TO ITS AXIS IN CONFINING ABUTMENT WITH OPPOSITELYFACING INTERNAL SURFACES OF SAID SIDE WALLS, STOP MEANS FACING OPPOSITEAXIAL ENDS OF SAID SCREW OBSTRUCTING MOVEMENT OF SAID SCREW IN OPPOSITEAXIAL DIRECTIONS, SAID STOP MEANS INCLUDING AN END WALL JOINING SAIDSIDE WALLS OF THE SUPPORT MEMBER, A KEY MEMBER HAVING JOURNAL SUPPORT INSAID END WALL FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS CENTRALLY OF SAID SIDEWALLS OF THE SUPPORT AND HAVING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SCREW TO EFFECTROTATION THEREOF ABOUT ITS AXIS IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID KEY, ABEARING MEMBER STRADDLED BY A PAIR OF ADJOINING CONVOLUTIONS OF SAIDSCREW, INTERFITTING MEANS ON SAID BEARING MEMBER AND SAID SIDE WALLS OFTHE BRACKET OPERATIVE TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF SAID BEARING MEMBERRELATIVE TO SAID SIDE WALLS IN DIRECTIONS RADIALLY OF THE AXIS OF SAIDSCREW WHILE PERMITTING SAID BEARING MEMBER TO TRAVEL FORE AND AFT OF THEAXIS OF SAID SCREW IN RESPONSE TO ROTATION OF SAID SCREW, AND A CAVITYIN SAID BEARING MEMBER IN WHICH SAID PIN IS RECEIVABLE FOR RELATIVETURNING MOVEMENT THEREIN.